Froi of the Exiles

As in most epic fantasies, there's a body count in this story. Many characters (some of them fan favorites) are killed or thought killed. Nearly everyone in a particular palace (and in another case, a hiding place) is executed. A prisoner is tortured. An epidemic sweeps through a refugee camp and kills several women. Froi and Quintana are pursued and nearly caught many times. There's an uneasy peace between the Lumaterans of the Monts and the Charynites who flee to the border. A much older man her father's court routinely forces himself on the princess.

This isn't a story that shies away from sex, but it's not gratuitous; it's usually integral to the plot. A teenage princess is forced to have loveless sex with different adolescent partners in order to try to conceive a child. A supporting character is a king's mistress who's almost always referred to as a "whore." Many descriptions of desire and several of seduction and consensual sex between couples who are in love (both heterosexual and homosexual), several of them married. A man who swore to celibacy breaks his promise. References to arousal, oral sex, and the conversation and noises that accompany lovemaking.

In addition to couple of made-up curses like "sagra," there are also words like "ass," "bitch," and "s--t." The word "whore" is said quite frequently. People often ridicule or insult the people of other kingdoms.

There's drinking and drunkenness, especially regarding one character who's known to be a lush.

Parents need to know that Froi of the Exiles -- this second installment in Melina Marchetta's Lumatere Chronicles -- features issues as mature as those in Finnikin of the Rock. There are depictions of violence and sexuality that may not be appropriate for younger readers, but mature teens -- even those who don't normally read the fantasy genre -- will find this complex, character-driven story chock full of intrigue and valuable lessons about hope, family, destiny, and what it means to feel truly at home. That said, there's definitely violence -- people are raped, executed, tortured, injured, and taken by sickness -- and more sex than in Finnikin.